September 6, 2014: Joes Valley, Orangeville UT Oh my god the butterfinger donuts. Bouldering is like climbings little brother, and little brothers are good things to have. They make you stronger. So I basically sat alone for a week and half, working out boulder problems, honing my crux climbing skills. A month ago, up in Leavenworth I was stoked to have worked out my second V4 The Real Thing, but Joes proved to push me far into the domain and by the end I had sent 11 more. And to think, I actually used to hate bouldering. That was until 2013 when I fell upon the birthplace of bouldering in Fontainebleu, France. I was looking through my travel diary and found an interesting entry about a route I did in Bas Cuvier and im fairly confident it was the moment of that send that I fell in love. A side note is that when I first arrived in France I started this problem, the excerpt is from the final few days before leaving Europe. …I move on to the Place du Cuvier and set up my pad to rest in perfect view of my nemesis “La Marie Rose”. Rodney and his wife are here working it. I make a fine meal of Miche, sardines, laughing cow, mayo and study their moves. Rodney manages to complete but his wife hasn’t yet. Another french guy attempts but can’t find the balance. A third comes along, obviously a Font local and finishes with ease. I get my shoes on, pulling the laces tight at every eye hole. I walk over on my heels to keep the sand off my toe, knowing I will need friction to complete. I make the opening moves with some trial and error, letting my feet explore the rock. I step high into two side pulls - one left and one right, left foot high, and slowly move my right hand up to the sloper. I stick it! Now my left hand leaves its comfy side pull, my weight falls onto the sloper. I reach up and grasp at the left and second slope. NO! I miss the spot by a centimeter and drop to the pad. Rodney’s wife tries again, falls. Another guy who’s been watching gives it a go but falls. I step back up and drop before I stick the first slope. Again Rodney’s wife and then the guy. I step up. I make the first moves and using beta from the others, I eliminate some wasteful moves. Up to the side pulls - first right, then left. My left foot goes high. I need more height. I bump my right about a foot up onto a small flake. My right arm releases the comfortable side pull and slowly, staticly reaches up to the first slope. I stick! Now Rodney is coaching. “Stay relaxed” he says, “go for the left”. I release my grip on the left side pull, my weight shifting onto the slope, my body balancing on a a high left and a thin right. I raise it and lock onto what I now know is the spot with eyes. My fingers clamp down on the second slope. It sticks! My feet move up on instinct, my right leaves the first sloper for the third. Its good, but i’m not moving up. Rodney is behind me, under me, telling me to stay relaxed, “You’re there! The hard parts over!” He points out a foot. I move and find it. My left hand lurches for the top, a typical Font style top out - slopey mantel. I feel like i’m out of energy. I’ve been over griping. Everyone is cheering me on behind me. They want me to get it, I WANT IT! I go for it…. Im on the top! Everyone cheers and and I celebrate with a two fist in the air symbol of triumph. I’ve done it, i’ve finished what I started at the beginning of my trip. La Marie Rose, no longer a daunting memory of defeat, but a worthy tick on a list of legendary climbs. Upon returning to the U.S. I would go on to boulder for weeks at Joshua Tree and Bishop. Along the way I met a fellow who had found his love of boulders long before. Matti Puckridge would be my inspiration for furthering my boulder interests as I watched him send “White Rastafarian”.
Posted on: Tue, 23 Sep 2014 05:26:02 +0000
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